Fallen Leaves
by Thirrin73
Summary: With thirteen men pining after her in her own mind, you'd think Sakura would know enough about herself to figure out a way to escape them. Unfortunately, they seem to know more about her than she does. And it looks like they want to get out just like her.
1. Part 1

**title: **Fallen Leaves

**summary: **With thirteen men pining after her in her own mind, you'd think Sakura would know enough about herself to figure out a way to escape them. Unfortunately, they seem to know more about her than she does. And it looks like they want to get out just like her.

**pairing: **MultiSaku, Sasori/Sakura, Madara/Sakura, Itachi/Sakura, Pein/Sakura, Hidan/Sakura, Tobi/Sakura, Sasuke/Sakura, Gaara/Sakura, Kimimaro/Sakura, Kakashi/Sakura, Zetsu/Sakura, Naruto/Sakura, Haku/Sakura.

**genre: **Romance, Action/Adventure, some Angst, Drama, Horror, and a bit of Humor

**AU?: **Yes, yes it is.

**inspiration: **_Fallen Leaves _by Billy Talent

**dedication: **Storm (StormDragon666), 'cause her _The Night Under_ oneshot was awesome and made of pure win.

**warning: **Language, some fluff, a bit of suspense, journeys into the inner clockworks of the mind, and maybe some gore-ish horror-ish scenes.

**disclaimer: **_Naruto _and its characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto. All quotes used belong to their respectful owner. I own nothing but the plot and possible OCs used.

**notes: **Don't know where this idea came from (though I do blame my iPod), but I wanted to write something for Storm...

Picked the first few guys who popped into my head when I thought of the word _bloodthirsty. _And then Storm requested Naruto and I decided to throw in Haku, Tobi, and Sasuke...

In the beginning, this was going to be an extremely long oneshot, but I decided to turn it into a five-to-six-shot.

The beginning feels a bit rushed, I couldn't find a way to make it feel any better though :/

All the quotes are ones I randomly found that fit what was or was going to happen in the story. Personally, I like each of them.

Enjoy!

**word count: **4,071

**::**

"_And where two raging fires meet together, they do consume the thing that feeds their fury." _

-William Shakespeare

**::**

"_Mommy?"_

"_Hush now, dearest. Try to sleep."_

"_But, Mommy, what's that smell? It smells like smoke!"_

"_Shh, darling. It's only a candle nothing more. Now sleep."_

"_A-alright, Mommy. Good night, I love you. Tell Daddy I love him too."_

"_Of course, honey. I love you too."_

_Haruno Yuri tucked her young daughter in and turned, heading for the door of the small bedroom. She glanced back at her beloved child, a soft smile drifting onto her lips at the sight of Sakura's peaceful face. Once in the hallway, she slumped into the old wicker rocking chair, eyes fluttering close._

_Letting the flames of the raging fire consume her._

**::**

_**Fallen Leaves**_

_**Part One**_

**::**

"_I always looked for a man to rescue me and bring me happiness. I bought into that myth, of course, and looked for my own Prince Charming." _

-Linda Evans

**::**

Heart pounding and blood rushing, Sakura ran the streets of her small neighborhood. She dodged passing pedestrians and hurdle-jumped over a couch a pair of movers were lugging into a quaint house. The burly men yelled obscenities after her, but she ignored them and pressed on. She bit her lower lip in agitation and glanced at her wrist watch.

The time, _4:50 PM_, blared up at her in angry red numbers. Sakura cursed and forced herself to speed up. A bead of sweat trailed down her forehead, cheek, and behind her ear. Her legs were screaming at her to stop and the wind was burning her eyes.

But she couldn't stop; she couldn't afford to slow down even a miniscule amount. Sakura's parents were leaving for their three month long book tour in ten minutes, and her house was a good twenty minute-walk (fifteen minute-run) away. As a novelist couple, Haruno Tsubaki and Haruno Eriku often left for book signings and readings, but they were never gone for more than a few weeks. They had been postponing this trip for too long and couldn't put it off any longer. If Sakura didn't make it home before they left, it would be a long three month's wait before she saw them again.

She gulped down a lungful of air and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. It was starting to get colder out, the fall winds blowing at last, but she could only feel the burning heat kindled deep in the pit of her stomach. She glanced at the street signs and realized that she was nearing her home. Only two more blocks and she'd be there. Sakura turned right sharply and started to cross the street. An oncoming car was speeding towards her and started to skid on the slick road when the driver saw the pinkette, attempting to stop. Looking up, Sakura gasped, slipping as well on the wet road, and braced herself for the impact.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and gripped her upper arm firmly, tugging her out of the road and harms way. Sakura reeled backwards and into her rescuer's chest, knocking them both down into the grass. Panting, she watched the car race by and gave a sigh of relief, subconsciously leaning back.

"Tch," her eyes snapped open and darted upwards at the sound, "Why don't you try being a little more careful?" A deep, masculine voice said. Sakura's gaze traveled backwards until she found her saviors face. His question had sounded stern, but the smile she found on the handsome man's face was kind and slightly gleeful. She stared at him for a few moments, practically drinking in his long ebony hair, pale flawless skin, and long-lashed half-lidded eyes. His irises were a strange, unnatural red, and Sakura felt like she would drown in his gaze if she looked into his eyes for too long.

She blinked, snapping out of her daze, and laughed nervously. She started to rise when he jumped to his feet, offering his hand to her. She gladly took it and he pulled her up without a problem. Though, he did put a little too much force in the tug and pulled her into his chest. Cheeks burning, Sakura backpedaled quickly. She smiled up at him anxiously, keeping her gaze pinned to his (strong, well-chiseled) chin.

"Thank you very much for saving me just then." she said sincerely. His chin bobbed as he nodded, smile shrinking into a smirk. "It was no problem. You were in quite a hurry, weren't you?" he answered, hands sinking deep into the pockets of his coat. Sakura, who's adrenaline rush had long since burned out, shivered, suddenly cold in her thin tank-top, wishing she had had the sense to grab a coat that morning. A diminishing light layer of sweat coated her arms and shoulders, the only sign of her former mad dash. Sakura's eyes widened in remembrance and she jolted.

"Shit! I'm going to be late!" she glanced up at him again before starting to turn, "Thanks again!" she was about to start her run again when his voice cut into her.

"Sakura." she whirled around in question to see her favorite red ribbon, dangling between his thumb and forefinger. He eyed her happily, smirk set in place. "I think this is yours." Her face was red as she reached out for her ribbon, which, once in hand, she tied around her head to pull her hair back, bangs falling into place and the bow and knot tucked behind her ear. She mumbled a thanks and turned, sprinting away.

Inwardly, she wondered when she had given him her name.

She ignored this thought in favor of glancing at her watch to see how late she was.

Sakura skidded to a halt, kicking up freshly fallen leaves in the process. _1:56 PM_ blinked almost cheekily up at her. "But, it was almost five o'clock when I last checked! Why is it only one?" Sakura's eyes widened and she spun around; maybe that man had adjusted her watch or something when she wasn't paying attention.

Curiously, he was gone.

Sakura shook her head in disbelief, turning back around and continuing down the sidewalk at a comfortable pace. She smiled to herself and looked up at the sky. _Why was I in such a hurry? I've still got plenty of time! Mom and Dad don't leave for another four hours, I worry too much._

The sound of crisp leaves crunching under her feet met Sakura's ears and her smile broadened. She loved that sound. She closed her eyes in peace and walked on, purposefully stepping on as many leaves as she could, the smell of lemonade drifting by her nose.

Her brows furrowed.

Why were people making lemonade when it was Fall?

Her eyes snapped open.

The leaves she was walking on felt awfully hard and round compared to the thin flat leaves that had been coating the sidewalk earlier.

She stared in horror at the sky.

It turned into a deep blood-red. Black clouds rolled leisurely over a burnt-orange sun. A silver crescent moon hung to the left of the sun, larger than normal, and what seemed like sparkling drops of wine fell from the lowest point and down to the earth.

She froze in place.

As she stared at the moon, it turned slightly until it was a grinning mouth with sharp ivory teeth smiling down at her. She flinched and something crunched under her foot.

Her emerald eyes darted down to the ground.

Thousands of white thin bones littered the ground, black blades of grass poking up through the more lighter packed areas. As she watched, blood seeped through the cracks of the bones a few feet away from where she stood-rooted to the spot. She stood on a small island of white bones, a sea of crimson rolling waves circling her.

And that was when it started to snow.

**::**

"_As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words." _

-William Shakespeare

**::**

At the back of her mind, Sakura vaguely noted that earlier that morning, the weather man had said nothing of snow.

She shook her head in frustration and brought herself back to what was going on. The snowflakes were a pure white, but unlike any other she'd seen before. They were the size of the palm of her hand and practically glittering in the orangey-glow of the sun. Faces were cut into the large snowflakes and Sakura recognized the profiles of her parents, friends, teachers-everyone she had ever met.

But, she realized, every few seconds she would glimpse a face she _didn't_ recognize. She neglected to count how many unfamiliar faces she saw, but she did notice that they were each attractive in their own way. The snowflakes drifted down at an unnaturally slow pace; falling only to stop and hover just above the crimson waves, upright and facing her.

Hesitantly, she reached out to catch one of the flakes; one, she idly noted, that had the face of her second grade math teacher. It melted instantly-as soon as her finger ghosted over it. The formerly white flake dissolved into a drop of blood, falling onto her island of bones and sinking into the depths of marrow.

This was all too strange for Sakura to properly grasp.

She clenched her eyes shut and counted to ten slowly, chanting softly under her breath, hands fisted at her sides.

"When I open my eyes, there _won't _be any bones, there _won't _be any blood, the sky _will _be blue, and the sun and moon _will_ be normal. I'll walk home, give Mom and Dad each a big hug and tell them to have fun on their tour. Then I'll go inside, pop in a movie, and curl up with Mr. Tedd and a tub of ice cream." She took a deep, relaxing breath, murmured a final "Okay," and opened her eyes.

Thankfully, the bones and blood _were _gone and the sky was back to normal. And it had even stopped snowing those strange snowflakes.

Unfortunately, she was now standing in a large meadow, surrounded by thousands of multi-colored flowers.

Also, something large and orange was racing towards her.

Sakura sort of stood there for a moment, breathing in the aroma of blooming flowers and basking in the warmth of the sunlight. She stared at the orange _thing_ for a bit before her eyes widened. She quickly turned and began to run. She hadn't gotten far when something (most likely the orange-thing) pounced on her from behind and sent her plummeting to the ground with a yelp.

She was twisted in midair and landed on her back. A blonde haired boy grinned down at her and Sakura stared up at him in disbelief. Next thing she knew, he had his arms wrapped snuggly around her waist and his face buried in the crook of her neck. And maybe it was just her imagination but she _swore_ he was breathing in her scent like it was some sort of drug. All she could see was his orange-shirt-covered shoulder.

"W-what...?" she stammered, squirming slightly underneath the boy, but freezing when what sounded like a _purr _erupted from his chest. After a bit, he finally sat up, knees straddling her hips, and studied her blushing face. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Sakura vaguely noted that all the flowers in the field had turned a light shade of pink-one that mimicked the tone of her cheeks. He grinned and leaned forward slightly, bracing his hands on either side of her head. One hand played with the loose strands of her pink hair while the other clenched around the grass. As Sakura stared up at him, she realized that his eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, one that reminded her of the ocean, and six whisker-like scars (three on each cheek) stood out against his sun-tanned face.

"It's so good to see you, Sakura-chan." He said after a moment, voice wavering from his struggle to keep from shouting. She made some sort of intelligible sound in response and he laughed, throwing his head of sunburst-yellow hair back and revealing sharp slightly longer-than-normal canines. The sunlight shined on his face happily and she gazed at him in shock. She'd seen plenty of attractive men before, but this young man radiated with the type of beauty that called out to her to touch.

"Look at you! You're so cute when you're flustered, 'ttebayo!" After a moment, he returned his excited gaze to her and grinned once more. Suddenly his smile faltered and he realized in horror that he was sitting on her. Face red, he began to scramble backwards off of Sakura when her voice pierced the silence, sending all thoughts of leaving spiraling out of his mind.

"W-who are you?" she watched his cerulean eyes dart down to her face. He grinned and planted his fists on his hips, exclaiming to the sky.

"I'm Naruto, 'ttebayo!"

Her brows furrowed as she repeated his name, tasting the syllables on the tip of her tongue. "Na-ru-to?" his name didn't sound familiar, but she felt as if it was-as if it _had _to be. Naruto's grin broadened as he stared down at her.

"Yeah!" his eyes darted to the sapphire-colored sky as he laughed. "The other's are going to be _so_ jealous that I met you first!" Suddenly, a panicked look flitted across his eyes as he jolted.

"Oh, shit! The others! If they find us, those thieving bastards will steal you away from me." Sakura swore she saw his eyes flash red for a moment as a feral growl escaped his throat. As Naruto glared at some unforeseen object, the pinkette inwardly wondered what he had meant by _"others"._ Where was she anyways? Naruto's attention returned to her and she was brought out of her musings.

"C'mon, Sakura-chan, 'ttebayo. Lets get out of here before-" He didn't get to finish his sentence because a small orange book was suddenly sent hurtling through the air to hit the broad of Naruto's head, sending him flying off of her. He landed in the (now blue and orange) flowers and Sakura slowly sat up to stare at the groaning boy. Her eyes darted to the book that was laying almost innocently in the flowers and grass.

Sakura saw a flash of silver and suddenly found herself cradled in the arms of a silver-haired masked man. Holding her bridal-style, he smiled at her from behind the cloth of his mask-a happy smile that reached his eyes (or rather, eye, since a second cloth covered one), crinkling the corners.

He exclaimed her name in joy and brushed his cloth-covered lips over her scarlet cheek, a quick peck that sent her reeling.

Finally, she could take no more. All the surprise and stress of the day that Sakura had been bottling up inside her overflowed. A crack formed in the dam behind which she tried to contain all her emotions. She threw finesse and caution to the wind, releasing her inner turmoil.

She screamed, long and loud.

Her shriek echoed throughout the meadow-the blue and orange flowers turning purple and red, some even wilting and dying where they stood. The silver haired man stared at her in shock, a streak of concern flashing in his one visible eye. His gaze swiveled sharply to Naruto, who was still attempting to assess the damage done to his head.

"Naruto! What the hell did you do to her?" the man questioned the blonde in fury, glancing at the still panicking Sakura. She was now struggling in his hold, but his strong arms held firm.

"I didn't do anything! She was perfectly fine earlier, 'ttebayo! Sakura-chan only started freaking out when _you _showed up." the blonde paused, sending the older man an foul look. "Why the hell did you throw your dirty porno at me anyways, Kakashi?"

The silver-head, now identified as "_Kakashi_", ignored him and gently set Sakura on the grassy floor, kneeling down beside her when she curled in on herself, hugging her knees to her chest and whimpering softly.

"Sakura-chan, calm down. What's wrong?" Kakashi murmured as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She flinched, but he gently pulled her closer, a hum of worry thrumming in his chest. By now, Naruto's head had stopped throbbing and he quickly crawled over to the two. At the sight of the look in Kakashi's eye, he stopped a few feet away from them, a miserable and concerned frown marring his usually happy face. He peered worriedly at the pinkette, hands fisting in the grass. The flowers around him turned into a vexed blue while the ones around Sakura and Kakashi remained an angry red and solemn purple.

After a moment, Sakura finally spoke, her voice muffled by Kakashi's shirt. He looked down at her when her voice reached his ears. Naruto attempted to lean forward to hear her as well.

"Where am I?" she asked softly. Kakashi stiffened and glanced over at Naruto who looked just as perturbed. He looked back down at the top of her pink head, searching his mind for a way to explain the answer to her. Guessing that they weren't going to answer her question, Sakura sat up and looked at Kakashi, asking her next question in an exasperated voice. "Who are you?"

Kakashi visibly relaxed and smiled at her through his mask. "I'm Kakashi," he paused and added, "It's nice to finally meet you, Sakura-chan." Her eyebrows furrowed and she moved backwards out of his hold, stopping to sit a few feet away from them both. Her eyes darted between the two strange men, who each continued to gaze at her softly. She took this time to catalog their appearances better.

Naruto (who's hair, eyes, and strange whisker-marks she had already filed away) was wearing an orange T-shirt with a strange red diagram-print over the area of his stomach. Baggy black pants comfortably covered his lower half and he was without shoes. He was about a head taller than her and was slim, yet muscular.

Kakashi's silver hair was messy, spiky, and could apparently defy gravity, favoring the left rather than just up. Despite the color of his hair, he only seemed to be in his late twenties. His one visible eye was half-lidded and had a deep black iris. His skin was pale but his physique was lean and tall. The cloth that covered his left eye was a sort of black headband and his mask was an extension of his black elbow-length-long-sleeved shirt. Pants identical to Naruto adorned his lower half as well. He also wasn't wearing shoes.

Sakura blinked and focused back on the two of them, asking something that had been bothering her profusely.

"How do you two know my name?"

At that, Naruto and Kakashi exchanged knowing glances. Kakashi opened his mouth to answer but the blonde beat him to it.

"We've all known you for a long time, Sakura-chan." he stated, head tilting to the side. Sakura crossed her arms and glared, _confident _that she had never in her life met either of them before. Kakashi sighed and looked over at Naruto.

"She doesn't believe us. Maybe we should get one of the others to explain?" he asked, standing and retrieving his book, slipping the small orange novel into his pants-pocket. Naruto nodded sagely and stood as well.

"Yes, this is just too complicated for either of us to elucidate effectively, 'ttebayo." The blonde brushed grass and discarded flowers from his pants. The older male raised an eyebrow and sent him a curious look, obviously questioning his sudden growth of vocabulary.

Naruto ignored him and continued. "Besides, sooner or later they're going to find Sakura-chan and, when they do, they'll be pissed and think we were trying to hide her." Kakashi smirked behind his mask and approached Naruto. "But isn't that exactly what you were planning earlier?" He crossed his arms and glared at the blonde, his anger returning.

Naruto blanched and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously. Sakura watched on in curiosity and fury, all the flowers in the field bleeding into white with red speckles adorning the petals. The sky simultaneously darkened and what looked like storm clouds leisurely rolled in.

"S-sure, yeah, I _was_ planning on doing that. But I was, _of course, _going to tell you about her being here! I swear, 'ttebayo!" Kakashi stopped next to him, shoulders relaxed and stance nonchalant. "Sure you were, Naruto." He smacked the back of the blonde's head, sending him sprawling to the ground, and spun around to face Sakura with a gleeful smile. Naruto groaned from his place in the grass and flowers and glared up at Kakashi.

"What was that for, Kakashi?" he exclaimed, sending a kick out at the older man's legs. The silver-head jumped to avoid the sweep and flipped Naruto onto his stomach, planting his foot on the blonde's head. Arms crossed he glared evilly down at the pinned boy. "For thinking you could _possibly _hide Sakura-chan from any of us. You're lucky I found you two first rather than someone like H-"

Sakura interrupted him, voice quavering in anger.

"I really don't appreciate people talking about me like I'm not there." she said as she slowly stood. Behind her, all the flowers wilted and silver and black ones sprouted up in their dying brethren's place. Lightning flashed deep in the gloomy clouds and Sakura's shoulders shook in frustration.

Naruto seemed shocked (and even cowered slightly) while Kakashi smiled cheerfully and practically pranced up to the enraged pinkette. Dropping a large hand onto the top of her head, he mused her hair like you would an adorable toddler. Almost instantly, the flowers reverted into blushing-pink buds and the sky cleared, leaving behind a bright and bashful sun. She pouted and glared up at him, swatting his hand away.

"Fine, avoid my question. But I want to meet these _'others'_ you two keep mentioning." her glare darkened and Kakashi laughed nervously, "And you two had better hope they can give me my answers."

Naruto jumped to his feet and hooked his arm with hers, turning around and heading purposefully toward a grove of trees she hadn't noticed before. Kakashi sighed and gripped Sakura's shoulder gently, causing her to stop and turn around in question.

"He has no idea where he's going. Follow me, Sakura-chan. The door's this way." he pointed in the direction opposite of the one Naruto was heading and grasped her hand, tugging her along. She glanced back at Naruto (who was just now realizing that Sakura was no longer with him) and turned back to Kakashi, thoughts as to what he had said flitting through her mind.

_Door? But we're in a meadow..._

Surprisingly, as they walked Sakura realized what he had meant. Not far from them stood a bright red door. As Sakura neared it, she became more and more curious. The door didn't seem to be attached to anything, simply standing in the middle of the meadow.

Kakashi's hand slipped out of her as he approached the door. Naruto caught up with them and slid his arm around her shoulders, grinning broadly. Kakashi stopped in front of the door, Sakura and Naruto just behind him. He raised a loosely fisted hand to the strange door and knocked twice with the back of his hand. The thuds echoed for a moment before Kakashi stepped back. He turned slightly to smile at Sakura.

"It's best to knock before entering," he explained, "The security system appreciates manners; it's less likely to hold a grudge and try to keep you out. Rudeness is not tolerated, as far as it's concerned" he sent Naruto a meaningful look, at which the blonde huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from the smirking man. He mumbled something along the lines of, "One freaking time. I burst through one time without warning and suddenly I'm a threat to the damn security." under his breath and Sakura raised an eyebrow in question.

The sounds of tumblers falling into place and locks unlocking reached her ears and the pinkette turned her attention back to the door. A gold doorknob emerged from the middle of the door and Kakashi stepped forward to grasp it. He slid the knob effortlessly across the wood to the left and turned the it. The door opened outward (revealing nothing but darkness) and he moved to the side, gesturing for Sakura to enter.

"After you, Sakura-chan." he smiled behind his mask at her, eye closed and head tilted to the right. She stood there for a moment, contemplating her options. Ultimately, she decided to just get it over with. Taking a calming breath, she stepped forward and into the darkness.

**::**

**notes: **Well, there's part one. I hope you all liked it! Especially you, Storm!

I hope to have the next chapter out in a few days, so be on the look out!

Be sure to review, I'd love the feed back! If there is anything that looks like it shouldnt belong, like a typo or something, please let me know and I'll fix it right away.

Also, there are a few other short fics and oneshots that I'll be posting sometime in the next few weeks/days, so check those out if you guys are interested.

~Thirrin73


	2. Part 2

**notes: **Back again, sorry for the wait. Finals are almost over and Summer is nearly here! This was going to be a somewhat short chapter, but due to all the writing I've been doing in my free time in classes these past few weeks it got tremendously longer than I anticipated. :)

Thanks to all of you who reviewed: **Wikedlovely**, **XionNight**, **Saiyuri Haruno**, **pacchiri cherii**, **StormDragon666**, **keraii**, and** Saku-Chan.x**. And thanks to those of you who favorited, story alerted, or just read chapter one.

On with chapter two!

Oh, and I'm taking off Zetsu venus-flytrap-pinchers for somewhat-normalcy's sake. Bunch of introductions and descriptions. Also, quite a bit of cussing ahead...

Enjoy!

**word count: **5000

**::**

_**Fallen Leaves**_

_**Part Two**_

**::**

"_Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." _

-Terry Pratchett

**::**

It was cold, Sakura realized.

And absolutely pitch black. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. Yet, she waited patiently for the two to enter the darkness as well. Her hands wrapped around her arms for warmth and comfort, she heard Naruto shuffle in after her and then Kakashi after him. The older man pulled the door shut with a click and lightly stepped around Sakura and Naruto, taking the formers hand and murmuring for the blonde to do the same.

She felt Naruto's hand grasp hers and waited, patience starting to slip. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and she could just barely make out Kakashi's form as he raised an arm and offered it out in front of him, fingers relaxed and palm up.

It seemed so incredibly cliché, Sakura thought, but it somehow fit. As Kakashi stood there with his hand held out in front of him, the white of his one eye disappeared and she guessed that he had closed it. After a few moments, she felt a shift in the air. The temperature dropped a few degrees the rose back up and Kakashi let his hand fall to his side, eye opening again. He looked over at her and probably smiled, she wasn't too sure with the darkness disrupting her sight, squeezing her hand reassuringly before letting go. His voice reached her ears and she felt Naruto's hand tighten around hers.

"Just walk forward, I.S. is having a little trouble with the lighting right now." Here, he chuckled to himself, "It should be cleared up in a moment, so just keep walking straight ahead." She raised an eyebrow in question but Naruto was already starting forward, tugging Sakura along with him. Kakashi followed after them, ruffling Sakura's hair as he walked.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We know this hallway by heart." Kakashi said convincingly. Naruto made a noise as if to agree and she relaxed slightly, getting lost in her thoughts.

_What had Kakashi meant by 'hallway'? And what exactly is this I.S. thing? _Not for the first time, she speculated as to where she was. This place was so strange, but everything felt oddly right.

They walked in silence, Sakura inwardly contemplating her current predicament, until a sudden noise interrupted the quiet.

The sound of a door opening and clicking shut suddenly reached her ears. Naruto and Kakashi both stopped, the later turning to face the way they had come. Sakura could see his silhouette dimly and tried to peer around him. After a few moments, Kakashi turned back around and shrugged. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words were suddenly turned into a startled yelp when her feet left the floor.

Sakura felt arms wrapped securely around her, carrying her bridal style as they (her and her captor) flew down the apparent hallway, the darkness rushing past them. Naruto and Kakashi cried out her name and she could hear the sound of them rushing after her. Eyes wide and jaw slightly agape, she peered through the dark at the general area of the face of the person holding her.

It was still much too dark for Sakura to see his (it must have been a man by the shape and strength of the chest she was currently curled up against) face clearly, but she could just barely make out a pair of strange silver-ringed eyes glowing in the darkness. The eyes lowered to look at her and she could see the outline of a jaw shift, suggesting that the man was smirking at her.

Sakura felt her cheeks burn and inwardly wished that she could see _exactly _what this man looked like. _I wish those lights Kakashi mentioned would turn on already, this is just ridiculous. _She thought to herself, surprisingly completely unaffected by the fact that she was speeding down a dark hallway in the arms of a complete stranger.

Suddenly, a soft hum reached her ears.

Off in the distance, a light flickered on.

Then another...

And another...

And another...

Until the entire hallway was illuminated in the warm florescent light.

Sakura's eyes traveled to the walls of the corridor, the man momentarily forgotten. On either side of the hallway, every ten or so feet, was a bright red door, identical to the one from the meadow. The walls of the hallway were a dusky blue and the floor was covered in a plush forest green carpet. The hallway seemed to go on forever.

And maybe it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw a surprised looking white-haired boy exit one. The boy and door were soon out of sight and Sakura's gaze traveled up a black-clothed arm (she was trying to peer around) to the face of the man carrying her.

The first thing Sakura noted was that she _hadn't_ been hallucinating his eye color. It really _was _silver-ringed. The next thing she realized was that his hair was spiked, messy, and shockingly orange. Finally, she saw probably the most unusual part of him. Numerous piercings adorned his face-from his nose to his ears to his lips to his eyebrows.

She stared at him for a few moments before he raised a single orange pierced eyebrow. Composing herself, Sakura looked him dead in the eye and crossed her arms (the pose was somewhat uncomfortable in her current position and she hoped her elbow jamming into his chest was just as painful for him).

"And who are _you_?" She asked, a pointed glare forming in her eyes.

He smirked down at her and lifted his chin slightly, looking down at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Pein." He said simply, never slowing in his run.

Sakura blinked, arms falling from their crossed position.

"Pain?" She said skeptically, "What type of stupid name is that? What, do you have a brother named Panic?"

He rolled his eyes and his jaw clenched slightly. "No, not P-A-I-N," He said, annoyance biting into his words a bit as he said the letters aloud. "P-_E_-I-N. Pein."

Sakura sighed exasperatedly, leaving it at that, and gave Pein a reproachful look.

"I don't suppose you'll be setting me down anytime soon, will you?"

He sent her a contemplative look and suddenly stopped. Sakura jolted forward slightly, gasping in surprise, but his arms kept her locked in place against his chest. She opened her mouth to say something when he unexpectedly stepped to the side, a surprised Naruto appearing from behind them and skidding against the carpet before falling to the place they had just been standing. The blonde jumped to his feet instantly and turned on the bemused auburn-haired man.

"Pein! What the hell did you kidnap Sakura-chan for, 'ttebayo?" He demanded, voice echoing down the hallway. Kakashi jogged to a stop behind the three and turned a glare on Pein as well.

"Naruto's right. There was no need in snatching Sakura-chan up like that." Pein rolled his eyes slightly at Kakashi's words, setting the pinkette down. The silver-head continued, "We were just bringing her to the rec room to meet everyone."

Pein sent him a look that said "_Somehow, I doubt that." _and turned back to Sakura. Now, she could finally take a better look at the rest of his body. A simple fishnet shirt was the only thing covering his torso (at which noticing, Sakura's face turned impressively red), he wore identical pants to Naruto and Kakashi, and (like the other two) he was barefoot.

He bent down a bit and dropped a hand on top of her head, running his fingers through her hair slightly. Not for the first time, Sakura was forced to realize that she was much shorter than the male confronting her. His orange bangs fell into his eyes and his smirk reappeared, giving her a look that made her blush deepen even more. Off to the side, both Naruto and Kakashi had suddenly stiffened considerably.

"So _you're _Sakura-chan. I must say, it's an honor to finally meet you." She chewed on the inside of her cheek, avoiding his eyes, and his smirk widened. He took her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips, gazing sultrily over her hand at her. If it was possible, Sakura's face reddened even more. Naruto bristled, a growl erupting in his chest. Kakashi sent a heated glare at Pein, who returned it wholeheartedly after he straightened and released Sakura's hand. They seemed to share a few unspoken words but Sakura was too busy gushing mentally to care.

"Now," Kakashi said after a intense battle of glares with Pein, "Lets go meet with the others." Naruto grinned and pranced up to Sakura, looping his arm through hers, and headed down the hallway. Sakura was about to inquire as to where they were going, but decided against it and let the blonde pull her along. She could just barely hear Kakashi and Pein conversing as they followed them but she could only guess as to what they were talking about.

After a few moments, Naruto stopped in front of one of the many red doors and knocked twice. Like in the meadow, a golden doorknob appeared but, rather than in the middle of the door, it was placed to the right. The sound of the lock unlocking itself reached her ears and Naruto grasped the knob, turning it and opening the door.

The blonde tugged her inside a perfectly white room (Pein and Kakashi following in after them) then closed the door. The sheer _blankness _of the room was enough to give her a headache, but as she turned to ask the three where she was, the white-washed walls suddenly turned brown. Small long sections of the walls flipped consecutively into divided pieces of polished wood. The white floor bled away to be replaced by a grey carpet, the ceiling dividing into multiple foot-by-foot tiles that flipped to reveal mix-matched colors.

The entire room, Sakura noted, now looked a lot like her high school library. Of course, with the exception of the books and other furnishings.

But, as she thought this, Kakashi went deeper into the room and fell back as if to sit down. A comfy looking black recliner popped into existence and he fell into it with a relieved sigh. Looking over at her shocked face, his mask lifted slightly as he smiled. As she watched, various other pieces of furniture suddenly appeared, from a widescreen TV to a black-leather couch to a wall-length book case (half full of books, half full of CDs and DVDs) to a coffee table.

It was then that she saw a red-haired boy, perched in a crimson recliner in the corner. He was staring at her intently, sea-foam colored eyes wide and surprised. Naruto seemed to have spotted the new boy and bounded up to him with a wide grin. With the blonde only a few feet away and gradually getting closer, the red-head's face turned blank as he looked away from Sakura and to a suddenly present red door to his right. He calmly got up and went through the doorway, leaving a confused and slightly exasperated Naruto in his wake. The blonde ran back to Sakura, puling her over to the couch and plopping down beside her.

"Who was that?" she asked, still staring in the direction the red door the boy had gone through had been. The space of the wall had reverted back to the wooden panes and a potted bird-of-paradise plant stood in place of the red lazy-chair. "Oh," Naruto said, waving offhandedly, "That was just Gaara. He's kind of shy, but he's really cool once you get to know him, 'ttebayo." He smiled at her and the rosette was vaguely aware of Pein sitting down beside her.

She glanced over at him and spotted a suspiciously familiar book in his hand. His silver eyes darted up to her and he smirked, opening the book somewhere in the middle and began to read. She had just caught sight of the sentence _"I'm rolling my eyes, Ig." _when Naruto was subtly demanding her attention again.

"So, Sakura-chan," he started, sending her an excited grin, "What do you think of the rec room?" Here, the walls grew blue wallpaper adorned with many smiling yellow suns. Pein frowned at the change and Kakashi (who was holding a manifested remote and was now watching a show with a comical pink dog run from a three-headed alien-chicken on the TV) glanced at the walls and sighed. The grey carpet turned cream and Naruto waited expectantly for the rosette to reply. Turning her attention from Courage to Naruto, she smiled weakly and shrugged.

"It's kind of hard to have a set opinion when I'm so incredibly confused by what exactly is going on." She said, glancing around the room as the walls turned green and a potted fern popped into existence. She waited for something else to happen but is seemed that the room was finally happy with the arrangement. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well," he started, "This is the rec room, 'ttebayo." Naruto shot Pein a dirty look when he muttered _"Obviously." _under his breath. He ignored the blonde and turned a page in his book. Still glaring at Pein, Naruto continued.

"Izzy wanted to give us a room of our own, one where we could all just hang out. So she set this place up." He explained, gesturing to the room. Sakura's brows furrowed in thought before she spoke.

"Izzy?"

Kakashi answered from his recliner before Naruto could say anything. "That's what Naruto calls I.S." Sakura nodded to herself and Naruto scooted closer to her.

"Anyways, this is a really special room, 'ttebayo. It accommodates to our needs or wants and changes things around depending on our moods, it's really cool. We can just think or imagine what we want and _Poof!_ There it is." As if to prove this statement, a bowl of steaming ramen appeared in Naruto's hand. He held it up in victory and then it was gone.

"This room is so awesome; Izzy is amazing for coming up with it and creating it for us, 'ttebayo!" While Naruto grinned, Sakura smiled but then her eyebrows furrowed as something occurred to her.

"If the room changes to match the occupants mood or thoughts, why had it been so blank and white when that boy, Gaara, had been the only one in here?" she asked and Naruto laughed weakly.

"Oh, well, Gaara tends to wonder off in his thoughts when he's alone. Besides," he said, cupping his hand next to her ear so he could whisper to her, "I think he likes the room being white and bare sometimes instead of cluttered with junk and painted bright colors, 'ttebayo."

She nodded in understanding and Naruto smiled at her, head tilted to the side. Then, her expression turned curious and she turned her attention to the rooms other occupants.

"So, who, exactly, is this I.S.-person?" She asked. Both Kakashi and Pein glanced at her before looking over at Naruto expectantly.

"Um," he began, "How do I put it..." he trailed off for a few moments and Sakura sighed, beginning to ask another question, when the sound of a door slamming shut suddenly met their ears. _What was that?_ She thought to herself. The sound was followed by a thud and a long string of loud curses.

"Ah." Pein said, snapping his book shut. The book disappeared and all eyes turned to him. "That would be Hidan." Naruto seemed irritated at this while Kakashi clicked the TV off (the remote disappeared soon afterwards) and turned his attention to a manifested red door to his left. They could still hear curses being shouted but now dull thuds echoed the words, suggesting that this Hidan-person was stomping down the hallway. Pein stood, sending a smirk at Sakura as he approached the door.

"I will inform Hidan of your presence, Sakura-chan." he said, glancing over his shoulder at her, hand on the doorknob. Sakura made a small questionable sound before nodding weakly and Pein turned back to the door. He slipped out into the hallway and they all waited, eyes pinned to the door and air tense. The walls turned an anxious blue and the carpet became a black and white checker-board design. A stereo perched on a small stand appeared off to Sakura's right, but it was ignored as Pein's muffled voice was heard.

Sakura could tell that, due to the anxious atmosphere, whoever this _Hidan _was she had reason to be nervous. There was a pause after Pein stopped talking and they waited. Kakashi's shoulder were tense and Naruto's fist clenched, blue eyes slightly worried. Suddenly a shout echoed down the hallway and Sakura jumped in her seat.

"What do you freaking mean _she's _fucking _HERE_?"

The accusation was followed by a few loud thuds and the door was unexpectedly thrown open. A surprised and enraged man stood in the doorway, violet eyes wild and hard. His otherwise tidy and slicked-back silver hair had a few strands falling in his eyes and his mouth was slightly agape. Sakura filed away the facts that his skin was pale, he was very tall and lean (not surprising considering the build of the others), and his pants were identical to Naruto, Kakashi, and Pein's. Like the other three, he wasn't wearing any shoes.

And he was shirtless.

Sakura tried to keep her eyes from straying down to his bare muscular chest and flat stomach as he panted slightly. Suddenly, the stereo turned on and the faster paced part of the song _Bohemian Rhapsody _started playing:

_I see a little silhouette of a man,_

_Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango?_

_Thunderbolts and lightning - very, very frightening me_

That is, before it paused mid-lyric, beeped nervously twice, and shut off, transforming into a vase of yellow and white roses.

Hidan held a hand up and pointed his forefinger at Sakura vigorously, his entire stance and expression suggesting that he was perfectly outraged.

"You!" he shouted, voice hard and eyes furious, "What the _hell _are _you _doing _here_?" His shoulders quivered and a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Shocked, Sakura started to reply but Hidan's accusing finger traveled between Kakashi and Naruto, who were both regarding the new arrival untrustingly.

"What, in Jashin's name, is _she_. Doing. _HERE_?" He yelled again, moving into the room slowly and stiffly, almost predatorily. The walls switched to and from their current blue and a bloody red spastically before they seemed to give up and turn purple. As if to make up for the indecision, a hot-tub popped into existence in the far right corner. Pein calmly slipped in behind Hidan, closing the door as well, and sent the man an exasperated look.

"Hidan." He said blankly. The silver-head whirled around to face him, shouting his reply.

"Fucking _what_, Pein?"

The auburn-head shot him a chilling glare.

"Shut up."

Hidan's mouth snapped shut at the deadpan and the other three watched on in a mixture of curiosity and anxiety. Pein strode past him to sit back down beside Sakura.

"Now," he started, silver eyes glinting in warning, "Introduce yourself to Sakura-chan." Pein inclined his head to the rosette and Hidan's glare turned to her. He seemed to be gathering his words but then threw his hands into the air and stalked back to the door.

"Fuck this shit!"

Sakura flinched as the door slammed shut and Pein sighed, muttering an irritated _"Idiot." _under his breath. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to be in a much better moon now that Hidan was gone. He wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders and pulled her closer to him, grinning broadly. Her blush did not go by unnoticed.

"Aw, don't mind Hidan-bastard, Sakura-chan. He's just a jackass who's always in a bad mood." Kakashi chuckled knowingly to himself and walked over to the bookcase, scanning the many titles.

"Yes," A voice suddenly said behind Sakura, at which she nearly screamed in surprise. "It's best to just ignore him when he's in one of his moods, such as today." Both Naruto and Sakura turned sharply in their seats to see a shock of red hair.

At first, Sakura thought it was that boy, Gaara, from before but then she realized that _this _red-head's eyes were more of a cinnamon-color than green. The new arrival was beautiful, to say the least, almost girl-like in looks. His brown eyes were half-lidded and a bemused smile hung loosely at his lips. His short hair was more of a wine-color than Gaara's crimson and fell about his eyes in idle waves. He was leaning on the back of the couch, arms resting over the top.

Brown bore into green and Sakura realized that his eyes seemed somewhat empty, the dark circles under his eyes making him look tired. His smile became a smirk as he inclined his head in her direction.

"You must be Sakura-chan. I must say, it is a real pleasure to meet you." He paused here and offered his hand. She slowly shook hands with him, inwardly fighting a blush and marveling at how soft his hand was.

"I am Sasori." He said, holding her hand until the last possible moment before walking around the couch. He made to sit down a few feet in front of them and a black recliner appeared under him. He was decked out in a loose teal t-shirt with fishnet-sleeves poking out from under, those reoccurring pants that they all seemed to wear, a black sweatband on his left wrist, and (_Of course_, she thought to herself) had no shoes. His gaze traveled over to Sakura's right as she mentally catalogued his appearance.

"Pein." Sasori acknowledged, nodding in the auburn-head's direction, eyes quickly returning to Sakura's own emerald ones as she was brought out of her reverie.

"Sasori." Pein replied, glancing up from his book that had reappeared. The red-head's attention reluctantly turned from the pinkette to Kakashi, who was still browsing through the bookcase. The two greeted each other and then Sasori was looking at Naruto.

"Brat." He addressed, to which the blonde bluntly replied, eyes closed and expression disinterested.

"Raggedy Andy."

Sasori bristled slightly and Naruto grinned cheekily.

Sakura held up a hand in exasperation, halting the inevitable fight.

"Ok, so it's really nice to meet you too, Sasori," The red-head smiled in reply and she continued, cheeks turning pink. "_But_, I would really appreciate it if _someone_," she shot pointed looks at Naruto, Kakashi, and Pein, here, "Would answer my questions already."

"Well," A new voice interjected, and this time, Sakura did scream. The owner of the voice chuckled and Sakura's head swiveled to her left.

The man was by far the strangest she had ever seen. The entire left half of his body was black and the entire right half was white. His eyes were a strange glowing gold that were almost mesmerizing. His hair was spiked, messy, and a soft grass-green. Strands of the bangs fell into his eyes and sharp pointed teeth poked out over his lower lip as he grinned at her. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized that he was literally coming out of the wall, the bottom of his torso merging with the purple wall.

As she watched, the rest of his body appeared through the wall and he approached them. His shirt was black and the collar sloped down in a deep V. The rest of his outfit was identical to the others: black pants and no shoes.

He stopped a few feet from them and sat in a forest-green armchair, golden gaze turning from Sakura to Pein when the auburn-haired man spoke.

"Ah, Zetsu. I was wondering when you'd show yourself." His book was gone and he now held a black mug with the label _A.L. _scrawled across the front in red. Steam drifted up from the contents of the mug and the smell of coffee drifted lightly through the air.

Zetsu grinned, nodding and chuckling to himself, and he looked back over at Sakura, head tilting to the side.

"So, Sakura-chan has joined us at last." He said, pausing before ginning widely. "**This is going to be delicious.**" Sakura practically jumped as his voice changed from it's previous soft and light tone to a deeper and darker one. He laughed at her surprise and Naruto leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Zetsu tends to switch to and from his 'light' and 'dark' side a lot. But don't worry, he's actually a pretty OK guy." The blonde whispered in a reassuring tone. Sakura nodded to herself and sent a weak smile at the green-haired man, who grinned back. The white-half of the leer was somewhat knowing while the black-side's was almost _lecherous. _He murmured something under his breath to himself and his other half answered, looking up at her under his lashes to send her a curious gaze.

Kakashi approached Pein and muttered something to him, just soft enough for Sakura not to hear. The auburn-head seemed somewhat skeptic at what he had said and stood, following Kakashi to another end of the room to talk. While the two conversed heatedly, Zetsu literally sank into his chair and disappeared for a moment. Just when Sakura was about to inquire with Naruto as to where he had gone, Zetsu reappeared next to her in Pein's empty seat. He said something to the blonde and Sasori, which led to an argument, but Sakura was too busy noticing the red-door appearing to pay attention.

Of course, Sakura really shouldn't have been too surprised when the door opened, a curious white-haired boy, who looked to be around her age, entering the room. She realized that it was the boy she'd glimpsed in the hallway. Now that she wasn't flying down the hallway in Pein's arms, she was able to catalogue his appearance much better.

His hair was indeed white, almost like bone in tone, and the part of his hair zigzagged to the back of his scull. Two pieces of hair were tied in red bands on either side of his face while the rest of the shoulder-length hair fell loose to frame his slightly impassive face. Above his eyebrows were two small red dots and more red markings were smudged under his eyes, which were a pale blue-green. His skin was pale, but slightly tanned. He was built much like the other males, lean and slightly muscular. He was tall, only a hair taller than Naruto. Surprisingly, his shirt was long and loose, a pale lavender color, with an uncolored yin-yang symbol towards the bottom of the shirt. She could just barely see a three-pronged swirl-design tattoo over his collar bone. _Unsurprisingly_, his pants were identical to the others as well as his bare feet.

The walls turned a soft red and a scull and crossbones flag appeared on the back wall as the floor became an intricate design of stone-work. He stood in the doorway and glanced around the room, eyes roving over the occupants until his gaze landed on Sakura. Those sea-like eyes widened in shock and his lips parted slightly.

"I _knew _it was you."

She could just barely make out his words over the others talking around her. The door started to close, softly hitting the new boy in the back as he stood in it's path. Not breaking eye-contact with Sakura, he stepped forward and let the door close fully. It bled away into the wall and he continued to stand there, staring at her. Sakura felt herself blush under his intense gaze. Beside her, Naruto looked up and noticed the newest arrival. Grinning, he jumped up and raced toward him.

"Yo, Kimimaro!" The blonde shouted, throwing an arm over the now impassive boy's shoulders. With Naruto gone, Sasori calmly stood and slipped into the vacant seat beside Sakura, sending the rosette a smile.

Naruto turned, grin faltering when he noticed his spot had been taken, and led the white-haired boy, Kimimaro, back to the couch. He shot a glare at Sasori before turning to Sakura, exuberant smile in place.

"This, Sakura-chan, is Kimimaro. I was beginning to wonder when he'd finally show up, 'ttebayo." Naruto said, gesturing to his companion. Kimimaro murmured a small _"Hello."_ and bowed, his pale cheeks slightly pink. Sakura smiled and greeted him as well. He bowed in reply once more and muttered something else under his breath, looking off to the side almost shyly. Naruto laughed and clapped Kimimaro on the back.

"You're always so stiff and proper, Kimimaro! Lighten up, 'ttebayo! Sakura-chan's not gonna bite." the blonde waggled his eyebrows suggestively and both Sakura and Kimimaro shot him a look.

The others seemed to be done with their conversations for now and turned back to Sakura, just now noticing the new arrival. Kakashi began to say something when the sound of someone whistling met their ears. Pein seemed to recognize the tune and grew increasingly annoyed.

The walls turned tie-dye and a giant teddy-bear wielding a frying-pan took the place of Sasori's chair. Naruto turned, as well as Kimimaro, and all eyes traveled to the reappeared red door, waiting to see who would be the next to enter. It was quiet as all patiently waited. Zetsu murmured something to himself once more and his darker-side replied.

Once again, the door swung open and in strutted another male. Only, this time, Sakura _recognized _the arrival. Her eyes widened before hardening and she jumped to her feet, startling Naruto, Sasori, and Kimimaro. The other occupants watched in a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and annoyance (once they too recognized the newcomer) as Sakura raised a clenched hand and pointed accusingly a the black-haired man. She shouted a single word, one that carried all her pent up emotions and bottled stress, releasing it all with one enraged shriek.

"_You!"_

**::**

**notes: **Well, that's it for chapter two. Not much of a cliffhanger since you all probably know who that was. I could have gone on and had at least three more guys show up, but I decided to end it there.

Oh, Sakura. Will you ever get your answers?

_**Special Prize **_to whoever can guess _why __**Hidan**__ was so angry to see Sakura_, _who __**I.S. **__is, and who will be the __**next**__ to appear and be introduced _(there are about four who haven't been seen yet, so just make a guess) _**correctly**_. Get one or two out of three right and you _**also win something**_.

If you notice any mistakes, just let me know!

Explanations and more intro's next chapter!

~Thirrin73


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